"Alan Williams - Holy of Holies" - читать интересную книгу автора (Williams Alan)

'Thurgood had said it was going to be a party, but the only other people there
were two girls - one of them coloured. Both very pretty and exotically
dressed, though Ritchie almost ignored them. I can't even remember being
introduced to them. He only spoke to them to ask for more drinks or coffee, or
to fetch cigarettes.
'I don't mind telling you, it was a very odd sort of party. At first I thought
that I might be in for some sort of orgy -you could never tell with a fellow
like Thurgood, although he wouldn't have been the type to take part. He'd have
been more the one to organize it. As it was, he just stood by the door
watching us, like a sort of manservant, while the taxi-pilot, Ritchie and I
sat in the leather armchairs and the two girls wandered about in the
background, smoking and listening to a lot of that soul-music on the hi-fi.

'I don't quite know how to explain it, but the whole scene was a bit unreal.
What made it more.so was that Ritchie was so friendly, so natural - so
ordinary. I mean, he was so confident and relaxed, and he seemed to take me so
much for granted. He and the girls were also being very generous with the
brandy. It took me a bit of time to realize that he was pumping me - that I
was telling pretty well my whole lifer story. The whole curriculum vitae, just
as though it had come out of my file. Ritchie was particularly interested in
the technical details of my flying career - he didn't interrupt much but when
he did, it was to ask all the right questions.

'The drink had loosened me up, and I didn't mind boasting that I was an
all-round pilot, Class A-l fitness, and with full flying experience, on all
types of aircraft. Then Ritchie started asking me a bit about my private life.
He mentioned how boring it must be at base-camp, and what I needed was some
fresh air - "the chance to stretch my wings", he said.

'As with Thurgood the night before, I was sure all this was leading up to
something, and I was about to ask him straight-out what the hell they both
wanted with me, when the outside buzzer went. Ritchie let in a small dark man
in a fur-lined overcoat. He had a bloody great diamond ring on one hand and
what looked like a solid gold watch that told the time in all the big cities
of the world.

'He didn't look English - more the Mediterranean type, Greek or Maltese. Or
maybe Jewish.' Then he added hastily, 'Ritchie introduced him as John Newby.
He had a slight accent when he spoke - very smooth, very confident. And like
Ritchie, obviously doing very well for himself, thank you. He also smelt of
perfume.

'The first thing he did was to tell Thurgood to drive the two girls home. As
soon as they left he sat down and took out a little black cigar and smiled and
said - and I can remember his words exactly - "I think it's a scandal that you
RAF boys are paid so miserably, when our whole civilization must ultimately
depend upon people like you." I must say, I thought this was pitching it a bit
high, and I mumbled something about everyone having to make the best of what
they've got in this life, and at this Newby became very excited, and started
waving his cigar around and saying, "That's just what I'm getting at, young